Morning Brew Daily – Episode Summary

Podcast: Morning Brew Daily
Hosts: Neal Freyman and Toby Howell
Date: November 25, 2025
Episode: "X’s Location Feature Stirs Uproar & Novo Nordisk Tanks After Failed Alzheimer’s Trial"

Episode Overview

In today’s episode, Neal and Toby cover the fallout from X's (formerly Twitter) controversial new location feature, the market shock surrounding Novo Nordisk's failed Alzheimer’s drug trial, and a slew of other trending headlines—from a Goodwill renaissance to the cultural revival of celebrity cigarette smoking. With their trademark blend of wit and insight, the hosts break down the news affecting business, culture, and daily life.

Key Segments & Discussions

1. Megacities: New Population Rankings

Timestamps: 00:56 – 02:19

• Jakarta, Indonesia has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most populous city (nearly 42 million), according to the UN’s new report.

• Dhaka, Bangladesh has jumped to second place (40 million), while Tokyo drops to third—and is projected to fall further by 2050.

• Megacities (cities of 10+ million) are proliferating: up from 8 in 1975 to 33 today, projected at 37 by 2050.

• Quote (Toby, 01:41):

  "This is the first revision to the UN's report since 2018. Back then, Jakarta was ranked 33rd. In general, though, megacities are becoming more prevalent."

• In the US, the only megacities are New York and Los Angeles (jokingly throws in “Worcester, Massachusetts”).

• Rapid urbanization draws attention to up-and-coming cities like Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Hajipur, and Kuala Lumpur.

2. X/Twitter’s Chaos: Public Location Rollout

Timestamps: 03:19 – 08:20

• X made every account’s location public "to secure the integrity of the global town square" and combat bot accounts and foreign influence, per X’s Head of Product Nikita Beyer.

• Immediate backlash: Massive chaos erupted as influential (esp. political) accounts were exposed as being run from abroad, not the US.

  • Example: A major MAGA account (“Trump Army”) the President shared was based in India.
  • Large numbers of engagement-heavy accounts were traced to Bangladesh, Nigeria, Thailand, and Eastern Europe.

• Technical problems:

  • Location labeling was often inaccurate (NBC journalists mis-tagged; YouTuber Hank Green labeled as in Japan).
  • Misinformation spread via doctored screenshots, including a viral fake showing the US Department of Homeland Security based in Israel.

• Quote (Neal, 05:48):

  "Screenshots are easy to forge, videos are easy to manipulate... and then in other instances, this feature has been inaccurate."

• Bigger Picture:

  • The bot problem is tied to X’s new revenue-sharing model: high engagement = payouts.
  • Incentivizes overseas actors to pose as Americans for higher engagement/income, especially in politically charged spaces.

• Quote (Toby, 06:51):

  "If you live in another country... you are motivated to drum up impressions on X, because you can supplement your income that way. The easiest way to get engagement... is to dive into the political sphere."

• Quote (Neal, 07:43):

  "A lot of people realized just how much of Twitter or X was fake... Musk may have revealed that the platform he's long called the number one source of news on earth is really just a worthless poisoned hall of mirrors."

3. Novo Nordisk’s Alzheimer’s Drug Flop

Timestamps: 08:20 – 11:36

• Novo Nordisk, famed for weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, reported its semaglutide (Ozempic’s ingredient) failed to slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients, despite improving some biomarkers.
• The market reaction was harsh: shares dropped by 10% at one point, closing down 6%, deepening a year-to-date 50% stock decline due to growing competition.
• Context:
  • The trial was always seen as a long shot, or "lottery ticket," given Alzheimer’s complexity.
  • Success could have provided a new story beyond waning dominance in weight loss drugs.
• Quote (Toby, 10:31):

  “There was earlier research that suggested people with type 2 diabetes who took semaglutide had lower rates of dementia... But correlation does not always mean causation.”

• Larger trend: GLP-1 drugs (the class including semaglutide) have been tested for multiple diseases, but Alzheimer’s remains especially resistant.
• Intense competition from Eli Lilly (now valued at $1T) exacerbates Novo’s struggles, with cheaper semaglutide copycats flooding the market.

4. Nursing & Professional Degree Student Loan Uproar

Timestamps: 11:36 – 15:49

• New US student loan rules exclude nurses, architects, physical therapists, physician assistants, and audiologists from the “professional degree” category that has more generous loan caps.
• Professional degrees allow for borrowing up to $50,000/year; the rest are capped at $20,000/year.
• Nurses outraged— existing shortfall of almost 300,000 nurses, projected to hit 500,000 by 2030.
• Government rationale seems financial: favor higher-earning professions (lower default risk) but has inconsistencies (e.g., theology included).
• Quote (Neal, 13:42):

  "It also seems like the government wants to use this as a mechanism to lower tuition because if colleges see that people aren't able to borrow as much... you have to lower your tuition to court those people back."

• Definition dispute:
  • The roots are in a 1965 federal law; at the time, nursing degrees beyond bachelor’s were rare.
  • The “administrative” label is not intended as a value judgment, but impacts real access to advanced fields.
• Quote (Toby, 15:14):

  "This doesn’t mean they view nurses as not professional... it's a purely administrative label."

5. Trends: The Return of Cigarettes in Pop Culture

Timestamps: 17:46 – 21:38

• Celebrities and cultural influencers are embracing cigarettes again, both on- and off-screen.
  • Examples: Dakota Johnson, Dua Lipa, Carmi from “The Bear,” Addison Rae, Lorde.
• Social Media: Instagram “sigfluencers” page has surged (70% female audience; NYC/London base).
• Driving force is "aesthetics" more than nicotine. Smoking as rebellion against "wellness" culture; echoes early 2000s indie sleaze/hedonism.
• Quote (Toby, 18:38):

  "Vaping isn’t cool, but smoking a cigarette is... for a lot of young people, the mood and ritual are more alluring than the nicotine contained within."

• Concern: Smoking in media influences youth; public health advocates alarmed, especially with historically low youth smoking rates (down to 6% under age 30).
• Tobacco companies claim to oppose depictions in media; much of this trend is not paid placement.
• Quote (Neal, 19:37):

  "The taboo is completely wearing off. This is very much alarming public health officials because smoking in movies contributes to increased smoking rates among young people."

• Analogue rituals: Young people may be seeking "analog" rituals to connect offline.

6. Market Headlines & Quick Hits

Timestamps: 21:38 – 27:14

• Stock Market Surge:
  • Nasdaq had best day since May (+2.7%), S&P 500 saw biggest gain in six weeks—rate cut hopes and Google-led rally.
• Goodwill Store Renaissance:
  • Newer Goodwill stores are bigger, brighter, with signature scents and strategic placement in wealthier areas, up 37% in sales; appealing to a younger “Goodwill hunting” demographic.
  • Quote (Neal, 24:18):

    "Location, location, location. That seems to be the key to Goodwill's renaissance."

• Variety’s Top 100 Comedy Films List:
  • #1: The Naked Gun. Modern classics like Stepbrothers, The Hangover, and any John Hughes films notably snubbed.
  • Quote (Toby, 26:14):

    "Every time I consider becoming a cinephile, I see one of these lists and just want to give up."

  • Quote (Neal, 27:01):

    "I guess those movies are good that you're talking about, Hangover, Stepbrothers, etc., but they just have to go up against 80, 100 years of cinema history."

Notable Quotes

• On X’s location feature rollout:

  “I need a drink.”
  —Nikita Beyer (as quoted by hosts), 04:27

• On the ephemeral nature of social media reality:

  “A worthless poisoned hall of mirrors.”
  —Neal quoting Charles Wurzel, 07:43

• On cigarette aesthetics:

  "Smoking represents a rebellion against a sort of squeaky clean air, one smoothie wellness aesthetic."
  —Toby, 19:11

Episode Flow Chart

1. Megacity rankings shift (00:56)
2. X's public location uproar & bot reveal (03:19)
3. Novo Nordisk’s Alzheimer’s setback (08:20)
4. Nursing student loans and “professional” degree debate (11:36)
5. Cigarette smoking returns to celebrity culture (17:46)
6. Stock market, Goodwill’s revival, comedy movie rankings (21:38–end)

Overall Tone

Witty, conversational, and sharply observational. The hosts rely on pop culture references, light banter, and crisp context to make complex business and policy news accessible and engaging.